"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.
If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."
~ Albert Einstein
Don't you just love that quote by Einstein? Though I don't hold stock in it completely, I do know it can be fun to read fairy tales to children.
Lately, I have been reading a few more fairy tales to our younger children. The older have perused these picture books on their own. {All the books mentioned in this post were found at our local library.}
The top three favorites in our house, over the past three weeks, have been:
- Jack and the Bean Stalk - We found two versions at our library. The first version was retold by Ann Keay Beneduce and the second was retold by Jonh Cech. Each tell the tale in a slightly different manner, but the children liked them both. A young boy sneaking by a giant more than once delighted our youngest.
- Rumpelstiltskin - The version we found is yet another fairy tale retold by John Cech. The children love to revisit this tale of triumph. Outsmarting the trickster Rumpelstiltskin provides great enjoyment to our young listeners.
- The Nightingale - Originally written by Hans Christian Andersen, this fairy tale tells of a Chinese emperor who has everything. He is praised by travelers for his beautiful palace and gardens. However, each one mentions the beauty of a singing nightingale. The emperor's jealousy leads to a search and capture of the nightingale. Onward the story continues through twists and turns that captivated our young listeners.
Related Post:
One of Grimm's Tales in Two Picture Books
Linked to Read Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word
We just read The Nightingale this week! Did you read the beautifully illustrated Jerry Pinkney version? This was a new-to-me story and quite complex!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendations. I need to read more fairy tales to my girls!
Amy, I had no idea Jerry Pinkney had illustrated one! He is a fabulous artist, and we have enjoyed many of his books. The one we read was illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. It has paneled illustrations with amazing details and colors.
DeleteI'm going to look for these, my 3 y.o. is into a major fairy tale phase.
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Sounds like fun! Some of our children have just started liking them. It has been great to explore them together.
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